Three decades before the heated Jake Gardiner NHL vs. AHL debate became one of the most polarizing topics in Toronto sports, the Maple Leafs faced similar tough decisions with three of their young defencemen.

Back in 1981-82, Leafs management opted to throw a trio of teenagers into the NHL wars rather than give them time to develop on the farm.

And with that one decision, it would be baptism by fire for Bob McGill, 19, Fred Boimistruck, 19, and Jim Benning, 18.

Upon further review, it proved to be, in the minds of many, one of the worst gaffs the Leafs organization ever made. Benning and Boimistruck never lived up anywhere near to expectations while McGill grinded his way to a blue-collar professional career.

“I think I was rushed,” Benning, now the assistant GM of the Boston Bruins, told the Toronto Sun in 2009, “But I had no choice. That’s the direction management went. I just had to go along.”

Thirty-two years later, there is a school of thought that Gardiner should remain with the Marlies right now instead of being called up to help the wobbling Leafs. In justifying the argument that Gardiner stay on the farm, the example of the failed McGill-Benning-Boimistruck experiment often is brought up.

Of course, you won’t hear that logic coming from McGill himself.

Instead, McGill is of the mind that Gardiner has outgrown the AHL. In McGill’s opinion, in terms of the way Gardiner thinks and sees the game, he is a man playing with boys.

“I think he’s ready for the NHL,” McGill said on Friday. “From what I see in the AHL, he sticks out like a sore thumb.”

As an analyst of both the Marlies and Leafs on Leafs TV, McGill has seen plenty of the smooth-skating Gardiner this season. In the process, he has witnessed the way the University of Wisconsin alumnus has toyed with the opposition on some nights.

“When it comes to his skating ability and when it comes to the way he sees the game, he’s above the AHL,” McGill said.

“His skating ability alone sets him apart from the guys he’s playing with and against right now. I’m not saying he’s Kris Letang or Erik Karlsson, but he’s in that group.”

One of the Leafs most pleasant surprises of 2011-12, Gardiner was third among Toronto blueliners in minutes played en route to earning a spot on the league’s all-rookie team.

When the NHL lockout hit last fall, Leafs management smartly reassigned Gardiner to the Marlies, where he could hone his skills and gobble up minutes. Unfortunately, he would subsequently suffer a concussion, a significant setback to his season.

Once the NHL season finally kicked off in January, Gardiner strugged in just two appearances — back to back games — before being shipped back to the Marlies. Once there, he worked out the cobwebs on the ice and, as of Friday, had accrued 31 points in 41 games.

With the Leafs defence struggling of late, Ben Hankinson, Gardiner’s Minnesota-based agent, tweeted the message #FreeJakeGardiner on Tuesday night, less than an hour after Toronto’s 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Cue the controversy.

One of the strengths of Maple Leafs general manager Dave Nonis is his patience. While ownership’s refusal to play such a waiting game ultimately resulted in Nonis’ dismissal as GM in Vancouver in 2008, his building blocks eventually turned into the foundation of the 2011 Canucks team that reached the Stanley Cup final.

McGill respects the abilities of the Leafs management team led by Nonis. At the same time, he truly believes Gardiner’s time is now.

“In fairness, when he made those appearances with the Leafs earlier in the season, he was still coming off (his concussion),” McGill said. “He understandably wasn’t in full game shape. He had one practice, then two games. That was it.

“In the case of Fred, Jim and I, it was a far different situation. It was kind of ludicrous for a team to have three underage defencemen. Remember, Jake is older and more mature than we were. He’s already 22.”

Whichever side of the Jake Gardiner argument you might be on, comparing his circumstances to the McGill-Benning-Boimistruck situation of three decades ago is like comparing apples and oranges.

Just ask Bob McGill.

HOLZER HOLDS STEADY

If Korbinian Holzer listened to many of the frenzied talk show callers out there, the big defenceman would graciously volunteer to head back to the Marlies in order to clear the road for the NHL return of young Jake Gardiner.

But despite his recent on-ice struggles, Holzer understandably is not about to give up his position on the Maple Leafs blue line without a fight.

If the Maple Leafs want to call Gardiner up from the AHL Marlies, Holzer, Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov are the only three players that can be sent down to the farm without having to clear waivers in order to open up a roster spot for the University of Wisconsin alumnus. But Kadri isn’t going anywhere and Komarov is said to have a gentleman’s agreement with the team to not be demoted to the AHL, leaving Holzer as the prime candidate.

How does Holzer ignore all the outside chatter about potentially being shipped from the Air Canada Centre to the Ricoh Coliseum?

“By not reading anything,” he chuckled on Friday. “All that stuff is white noise. You can’t let yourself be distracted by those things.

“I’m a young guy. I know how it works. I’ve been going through some tough times. But I also know I can play in this league.

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Ex-Leaf McGill says Gardiner should be in NHL

Three decades before the heated Jake Gardiner NHL vs. AHL debate became one of the most polarizing topics in Toronto sports, the Maple Leafs faced similar tough decisions with three of their young defencemen.

Back in 1981-82, Leafs management opted to throw a trio of teenagers into the NHL wars rather than give them time to develop on the farm.

And with that one decision, it would be baptism by fire for Bob McGill, 19, Fred Boimistruck, 19, and Jim Benning, 18.

Upon further review, it proved to be, in the minds of many, one of the worst gaffs the Leafs organization ever made. Benning and Boimistruck never lived up anywhere near to expectations while McGill grinded his way to a blue-collar professional career.

“I think I was rushed,” Benning, now the assistant GM of the Boston Bruins, told the Toronto Sun in 2009, “But I had no choice. That’s the direction management went. I just had to go along.”